Tray construction



Jan. 7, 1969 J, w, BOYD ET AL 3,420,395

TRAY CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 26. 1966 INVENTORS JAMES n. BOYD BY CL/FFORO H BESSE 7'7' PE /VD/.E 7011/, A/EUMAA/ SE/BO/.D 5 W/L/AMS ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,420,395 TRAY CONSTRUCTION James W. Boyd, Crown Point, Ind., and Clifford H. Bessett, South Holland, Ill., assignors to Packaging Corporation of America, Evanston, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 26, 1966, Ser. No. 581,783 U.S. Cl. 217-265 Int. Cl. B65d 81/16 2 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention The device in question is known in the egg packing trade as a molded pulp filler-flat used for the bulk packing of eggs, usually 30 dozen in number. In the bulk packing of eggs by the farmer for shipment to the packer or by the packer for shipment to large retail outlets, such as supermarkets, a plurality of filler-flats are utilized in combination with a shipping container the latter normally formed of corrugated breboard. -Each filler-flat, which has a substantial square peripheral configuration, is filled with eggs and the loaded filler-flats are then placed in stacked relation within the shipping container. The interior of the container is generally formed into two contiguous compartments, each one accommodating a stack of loaded ller-ats.

Each Ifiller-flat or egg tray is provided with upwardly projecting posts and downwardly extending pockets in which the eggs are placed, small end down. In stacking loaded trays, each successive tray is rotated ninety degrees in the horizontal plane whereby the tops of the posts of the lower tray contact the underside of the bottoms of the pockets of the upper tray so that the weight of the loaded trays are supported by the trays themselves rather than by the accommodated eggs. Heretofore in the handling of loaded trays some difficulty was experienced with certain prior trays in that they were not possessed of sucient stiffness to effectively carry the load without substantial sagging of the tray. Furthermore, because of this lack of stiffness, difficulty Iwas also encountered Iin manipulating the trays during fabrication thereof.

The empty trays are arranged in nested relation and are initially received by the farmer or packer in bundles of approximately 240 trays. The bundle of nested trays is compressed into a compact size and then the nested trays are overwrapped with kraft paper or the like prior to the shipping same to the user.

When the bundled trays are to be used, it is necessary that each tray be denested either manualy or mechanically from the bundle. Because of the contour of the posts and pockets, the surface characteristics of molded pulp, and the extent of the compressi-ve force utilized in compacting the bundle, difficulty was often experienced in that jamming occurred between adjacent trays. In an effort to overcome or minimize this jamming effect, various prior trays 'were provided with lugs, buttons,

3,420,395 Patented Jan. 7, 1969 shoulders or the like formed of solid pulp which cooperated with one another to cause critical portions of adjacent trays to remain in optimum spaced relation even though the bundled trays were subjected to substantial compressive forces. By reason of such spacing the surface friction between the adjacent nested trays was reduced. The effectiveness of such prior antijamming devices was and is seriously questioned because of their size and structure.

Lastly, in the handling of loaded prior art trays or during the loading thereof, a problem often arose whereby the eggs accommodated in adjacent pockets had substantial portions thereof projecting above the pockets and such portions would contact or click against one another so as to produce surface cracks in the eggs. This excessive projection of the accommodated eggs from the pockets of prior trays was usually due to the sides of the pockets not extending upwardly a sufficient amount from the bottom of the pockets, or the interior surface of the pocket not being properly shaped so as to permit the egg to sit fully within the pocket in a stable manner.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a molded tray which is of simple design, is possessed of substantial stiffness even in an environment of high humidity, may be readily denested without jamming when nested with other like trays, and is possessed of deep pockets which afford protection against contact between adjacent eggs.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a molded tray wherein the configuration of the pockets thereof is such that eggs widely varying in size may be properly accommodated.

Further and additional objects will appear from the description, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

Summary of the invention In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a molded tray is provided which comprises a plurality of upwardly projecting hollow posts, a plurality of downwardly projecting pockets, and solid ribs interconnecting adjacent posts. The interconnecting ribs and posts cooperate With one another to delimit the open upper end of the pockets. The vertical thickness of material of each rib is greater than the cross-sectional thickness of material of the pocket walls. The portions of the post side walls aligned ywith and interconnected by the rib have a cross-sectional thickness of material lwhich is greater than the cross-sectional thickness of material of the remainder of the post side walls.

Description For a more complete understanding of the invention reference should be made to the drawing, wherein:

FIG. l is a perspective top view of one form of the improved tray;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the tray as shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to FIG. l, a tray 10, vdesignated in the egg packing industry as a filler-flat, is shown which includes a plurality of upwardly projecting hollow posts 11 and half-posts 12 and a plurality of downwardly extending pockets 13 and half pockets 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the pockets 13 and 14 are arranged in parallel rows and the posts 11 and 12 are likewise arranged in parallel rows. The rows of pockets are disposed alternately with the rows of posts, as is conventional in trays of this type. Adjacent posts 11 are interconnected by ribs 15. The ribs and posts cooperate with one another to delimit the open upper end of the pockets, s-ee FIG. 3.

The tray may be fabricated by molding or thermo forming and material, such as paper pulp, expanded polystyrene, polyethylene, etc., may be utilized.

Tray 10 is of a type particularly suited for use in the bulk packing of eggs. However, it is to be understood of course that the invention is not to be limited thereto.

As noted in FIG. 3, ribs are of solid construction, that is to say, the vertical thickness thereof is substantially greater than the cross-sectional thickness of the `wall 16 forming pocket 13. Where tray 10 is formed of molded paper pulp, solid structure of ribs 15 is effected by the pulp fibers lilling and becoming compacted in the rib-fonming grooves or recesses provided in the mold section used in fabricating the tray.

In addition to ribs 15 being of greater thickness, of material, the portions 17 of the tapered walls 18 forming posts 11, which are aligned |with and connected to ribs 15 are also of greater thickness of material than the remainder of the wall 18.

As noted in FIG. 3, the thickness of portions 17 diminishes gradually as it extends upwardly toward the top 20 of the post.

The same thickened portion exists in the area of the half-posts 12 adjacent the rib 15. As noted in FIG. l, the end pairs and middle pairs of half-posts 12 are interconnected by ribs 21 `which are similar in construction to rib 15. It is to be noted in FIG. 3 that the upper or top exposed side 15a of rib 15 is slightly narrower than the under or concealed side 15b so that when like trays are nested with respect to one another the upper side 15a of the rib of the lower tray will engage the corresponding underside 15b of the upper tray and thereby prevent the trays from jamming one within the other.

Portions 17 of adjacent posts and the interconnecting rib 15 cooperate with one another to form a substantially U-shaped stiffening member which functions to retain the adjacent posts in proper spaced relation and to cooperate with other like stiffening members so as to impart substantial stiffness to the tray in the horizontal plane.

Pockets 13, each have a substantially annular upper open end 13a, see FIG. l which is delimited by either four posts 11 and interconnecting ribs 15, or two posts 11 and two half-posts 12 and interconnecting ribs 15 and 21. It will be noted in FIG. 3 that the depth of pocket 13 when measured from the top 15a of the rib to the lbase 13b of the pocket is substantially greater than the height of the post 11 measured from the top 15a of the rib. By reason of this dimensional differential, the egg, when disposed within a pocket 13, is provided adequate protection against clicking or contact with an egg disposed in an adjoining pocket, when a loaded tray is subjected to normal handling or when the tray is being loaded with automatic equipment.

Etach pocket 13 has the annular -Wall 16 thereof tapered with an angle of taper l1 slightly greater adjacent the open end 13a. The lower part of each pocket has an angle of taper t2 which is slightly less, when measured from the horizontal, than taper angle t1 with the result that the small end of the accommodated egg will autoirnatically become centered in the pocket and thus assume a more stable position therein.

To further assist in denesting nested trays, there may be provided along the periphery of each tray a plurality of spaced solid projections 22, see FIG. 2. These projections 22 in the illustrated embodiment are disposed along the edges of the tray in `which hand holes 23 are formed. These projections are also aligned with respect to post portions 17 or between the half-pockets 14.

Thus, it will be seen that an improved tray has been provided which not only provides greater protection for the accommodated articles, but has added stiffness to facilitate handling thereof, and can be readily denested, either manually or mechanically from a bundle of nested trays.

We claim:

1. A unolded tray for accommodating a plurality of fragile articles comprising a plurality of downwardly extending pockets arranged in spaced relation and forming a plurality of spaced substantially parallel rows; a plurality of upwardly projecting hollow posts arranged in spaced relation and forming a plurality of spaced substantially parallel rows in alternately arranged relation with respect to the rows of pockets, each post having a substantially flat top, a plurality of tapered side walls arranged in annularly spaced relation and depending from said top, each pair of adjacent side walls being separated from one another by an elongated narrow portion depending from said top, each narrow portion having a substantially greater thickness of material in cross section than the cross-sectional thickness of material of each side wall, each narrow portion having a lower end thereof terminating at a rib, each rib spanning the distance between either said adjacent or corresponding posts and cooperating therewith to` partially delimit the upper open end of a pocket, each rib having throughout its length a cross-sectional thickness of material greater than the cross-sectional thickness of material forming the walls of the pockets; said ribs and the narrow portions of said posts cooperating with one another to for-m a tray having substantially like reenforcing characteristics in both lengthwise and widthwise directions; the depth of each pocket measured from the top of an adjacent rib is substantially greater than the height of an adjacent post measured from said top of said adjacent rib, the tops of all of said ribs being in substantially coplanar relation.

2. The molded tray of claim 1 lwherein said rib and narrow portions of each post are substantially thicker in cross section than either the pocket forming walls or the post side walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,983,325 12./1934 Swift 217-265 1,990,145 2/1935 Swift 217-265 X 2,014,851 9/1935 Kronenberger 217-265 2,936,922 5/1960 Williams 217-265 3,120,901 2/1964 Boyd 217-265 3,334,765 8/ 1967 Modersohn 229-2.5 3,343,702 9/1967 Leitzel 217-265 RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner. 

